STAN Ternent gave the shortest press conference of his life last night as his Burnley dream turned to disaster. Ten months ago Ternent was a king at Bury after guiding the Shakers to two successive promotion successes and then surviving in the First Division against all the odds.

But last night's embarrassing 6-0 home defeat by Manchester City - it could easily have been twice as many - was the lowest point in a series of disappointments since he walked out on Bury to take over his home town club.

It was too much for the Burnley fans to stomach, especially as it came hard on the heels of a 5-0 battering by Gillingham in their last home game. They welcomed Ternent with open arms and a standing ovation when he held his first press conference on his arrival at the club last summer. Last night they filled the air with chants of "Ternent out" as the goals rained in.

The manager never shirked his duty to speak to the press after matches during his two and a half years at Bury when things didn't always go his way. But what could he say last night.

"I just want to say I'll be having a meeting with my chairman in the morning and we'll take it from there. I don't want to say any more." And out he went to leave his winger and outstanding performer Glen Little to fill in the gaps. "They could have had 12, 13 or 14 goals tonight. I just couldn't believe it. The fans keep coming but if it was me I'm not sure I would."

Ternent's successor at Gigg Lane, Neil Warnock, has found himself under pressure from Bury fans who are disgruntled at seeing the side which brought the Shakers success broken up and the new side facing a relegation fight.

Many Bury fans have said they would love to have him back, believing he could work miracles again. The irony is that while Warnock has been having a rough ride at Gigg Lane, Ternent has been living a parallel existence 20 miles away.

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